‘Lisbon’ and the men walk on

There aren’t too many bands in rock ’n’ roll these days that are good at crafting their entire sound around their singer’s voice, but The Walkmen are certainly one. Hamilton Leithauser’s forceful and resonant howling is the commanding centerpiece for their latest release “Lisbon,” a raw and exhilarating rock record as moving as it is catchy.

Leithauser’s vocals will easily seize your attention on the faster and mightier tracks like the adrenaline-charged album standouts “Angela Surf City” and “Victory.” But for better or worse, he chooses to harness this gift significantly on most of “Lisbon”’s tracks.

On “Stranded,” for instance, a slow, woozy brass chorus accompanies his despondent wails at a sluggish tempo. Despite it being a considerably wild deviation from what The Walkmen do best, the song actually works.

Considering the great energetic heights that The Walkmen are capable of, “Lisbon”’s prominent softer side might leave you wanting a bit more, but it helps amplify the loud impact from the record’s more invigorating moments.